Cal men's basketball edges Oregon State to continue hot streak

CORVALLIS, Ore. -- California coach Mike Montgomery didn't necessarily like how the Golden Bears had to outlast Oregon State, but he liked the bottom line.

"Hey, it shows up on the left side of the column and that's what you want," Montgomery said.

Justin Cobbs had 18 points and surging California won its fifth straight game by holding off a late Beavers' rally for a 60-59 victory on Saturday.

California (18-9, 10-5 Pac-12) has won seven of its last eight games, including victories over then-No. 7 Arizona and No. 23 Oregon.

The Golden Bears are suddenly sneaking up the Pac-12 rankings, joining Arizona, Oregon and UCLA, and positioning themselves for a possible NCAA tournament berth with three games left.

"We're gonna need a little help," said freshman guard Tyrone Wallace, who had 11 points against the Beavers. "But everybody's on the right track, and we know what it's gonna take."

The Golden Bears led by as many as 14 points but Oregon State cut it to 45-42 on Joe Burton's layup with 8:32 left in the game. The Beavers (13-15, 3-12) stayed within reach and Devon Collier's layup cut Cal's lead to 58-55 with 1:47 left.

Justin Cobbs hit a jumper from atop the key for California before Collier made four straight free throws to come within 60-59 with 43 seconds left.

With 10 seconds left, Cobbs missed a jumper out front. But Ahmad Starks' 3-point attempt missed with a second left on the clock to end it.